Bo Nix NFL Draft stock: 5 teams who could make the most of Oregon QB's talent
By John Buhler
There could be upwards of six quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and Bo Nix might very well be one of them.
The Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback of the Oregon Ducks has been in college for quite a while now. The former Auburn legacy reinvented himself in Eugene after seeing his father's beloved alma mater crumble to pieces in the wake of that Bryan Harsin disaster.
Over the last two years at Oregon, Nix has re-emerged as one of the better passers and playmakers in the Pac-12. His leadership qualities are off the chart, as well as his other intangibles. However, Nix is not projected to be coming off the board any higher than QB4 this spring behind USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye and LSU's Heisman Trophy winner in one Jayden Daniels.
To me, Nix is a lower-end franchise quarterback who should be coming off the board somewhere in the No. 12 to No. 24 overall pick range. Nix is going to go to a team that either just barely missed the playoffs or a team that just barely qualified for them. Either way, this is the part of the first round where I think Nix could not only achieve success in the NFL long-term but also early in his pro career.
Here are five NFL teams who could be picking in that range who need to at least kick the tires on Nix.
Bo Nix NFL Draft: 5 teams who would get the most out of the Oregon QB
5. Pittsburgh Steelers need to pivot off Kenny Pickett to save face in 2024
I don't know where the Pittsburgh Steelers go from here. As long as Mike Tomlin is their head coach, they will be no worse than a 9-8 football team, but probably no better than an 11-6 one either. They find themselves in the awful middle of a deep AFC, an area no team with any serious championship aspirations ever wants to reside. The Kenny Pickett experiment was a complete failure. What's next?
The Steelers will probably be picking in the teens, regardless of if they qualify for the AFC Playoffs or not. They struck gold a generation ago when they took Ben Roethlisberger No. 11 overall out of Miami (OH). Not to say they would be doing the same in taking Nix, but I expect that he would be markedly better as a pro than The Fake Slide King himself. Nix can get the Steelers back to winning 12 games.
However, I question if Nix has enough necessary mental toughness to thrive in a place like Pittsburgh. He is much stronger in that department since leaving Auburn. Unfortunately, for as long as Tomlin is in charge of the team, offense will be an afterthought for the franchise. Nix could have success in Pittsburgh because of its impenetrable football foundation, it just may not be as good as other stops.
Nix is an upgrade over what the Steelers currently have at quarterback, but he is not a massive one.